Fuel Systems

Efficiency Improvements in Fuel System

Suction Jet Pumps
By Cian Q'Dunlaing and Hans Dieter Wilhelm computer Simulation:
This method is relatively new but has
gained increasing importance in recent
This article by Mannesmann VDO describes the use of suction jet years with the availability of cheaper com-
pumps in automotive fuel systems and explains a simple analytical puting power and relatively accurate Com-
model for the optimal dimensioning of important geometrical parame- putational Fluid Dynamics software. It en-
ters.The impact of the dimensioning on the system variables is out- hances the designer's understanding by
giving a detailed picture of the pressure
lined and quantified with an example from practice, namely a suction and flow distribution on a macroscopic lev-
jet pump for petrol incorporating a diffuser at the outlet. For more de- el across the whole unit. The correct model-
tailed analyses, numerical methods (Computational Fluid Dynamics) ling is time-consuming with the software
currently available and must be carried out
are utilised and the optimisation of the mixing pipe length is presented
by personnel trained in fluid simulation
as an example. Furthermore, the simulation of a shortened suction jet techniques.
pump dimensioned for an application outside the range of fuel supply
systems is presented. The results suggest that the advantage of a short- Experimentation:
The design and testing of a model unit is
er mixing pipe might not be restricted to jet pumps used in fuel sys- very time-consuming and expensive. This
tems. is generally only carried out after the di-
mensioning has taken place in order to
prove the system's functionality.
the venturi is to pump the fluid over the
height of the tank saddle in order to fill the
swirl pot, in which the fuel pump is located. 2 Analytical Model
The principle of a suction jet pump, also The fuel pump must also deliver the
known as a venturi pump after the Italian propulsion jet for the venturi in addition to In order to derive a semi-empirical model
scientist G. B. Venturi, is a pumping process the engine fuel consumption. Another com- for the behaviour of suction jet pumps, i.e.
that does not use moving mechanical parts. mon alternative is the use ofthe surplus re- the relationship of Q to q, i'.p and other
The means of propulsion is provided by the turn flow from the pressure regulator quantities, the following simplifications
driving jet q. It is forced through the driving valve, Figure 2, as the driving jet for the and assumptions are made and applied to
nozzle so that an additional flow rate Q is venturi. all subsequent considerations:
dragged with it by means of inner friction - The geometry is simplified, especially at
and turbulent mixing. Such a combination The venturi in tank system applications is the inlet nozzle and catching nozzle
of flows with velocity differences is always generally composed oftwo relatively simple (compare Figure 1 and Figure 3).
accompanied by relatively large losses. injection-moulded components, namely a - All physical quantities are uniform
Normally, the overall flow (q+Q) must also nozzle and a mixing tube, usually incorpo- across the vertical control volume bor-
be able to overcome a backpressure at the rating a diffuser. This makes it a very cost -ef- ders (the broken lines in Figure 3). This is
end of the venturi due to the pressure loss- fective and reliable device, which for many a good approximation for developed tur-
es of the following pipes and/or the fluid applications offsets its inherent disadvan- bulent, single-phase conduit profiles.
level at the outlet. tage, namely its low operating efficiency. Since, however, the model permits dif-
ferent densities for both the driving and
In order to improve the efficiency, the ven- The correct dimensioning of the nozzle and driven jet, the assumption of a uniform
turi is often extended atthe end ofthe mix- mixing pipe is critical to the attainment of profile is in general only valid for misci-
ing pipe to incorporate a diffuser, Figure 1. the desired operating point. There are three ble fluids and not for multi-phase flows
This is a device which slows down the flow methods which are used for dimensioning in the narrow sense, where different
speed with a resultant pressure increase in and optimising a venturi suction jet pump: phases of the same fluid occur. (The au-
the flow direction. The venturi effectively
acts against a smaller pressure at the end of Semi-Empirical Modelling:
the mixing tube than would be the case if a This is the speediest and consequently the
diffuser were not added. Therefore, the ve- most widely used method. A number of You wi/I find the figures mentioned in
locity differences of the jets and subse- simplifications are made in the derivation this article in the German issue of
quent losses can be reduced. of the mathematical formulae, which tend ATZ 112001 beginning on page 32.
to over -estimate the efficiency. It is possible
Venturis are extensively used for fuel sup- to compensate for these by introducing fac-
ply systems in automotive applications. In tors to predict the losses. The derivation of
the example shown in Figure 2, the task of such a model is discussed later.
Wlrkungsgradverbesserungen
bel Saugstrahlpumpen in
ATZ Automobiltechnische Zeitschrift 103 (2001) 1 Fahrzeugkraftstoffsyslemen
 Fuel Systems
thors have as yet had no opportunity to
test the reliability of the model with
miscible fluids or multi-phase flows. The
approach used here is called the homo-
geneous multi-phase model in [6].)
- In the case of a single fluid for both jets,
the flow is regarded as being incom-
pressible: "'piM = 0, where P is the densi-
ty and tthe time. For different fluids, the
mean density Pm after the mixing
process may be different from the origi-
nal densities, but it is assumed that the
volume fluxes of the fluids add up to
form the overall flow rate.
- The flow quantities (time or Reynolds
averaged quantities) are steady 8 /8 t = O.
- Losses are accounted for with empirical
approaches, except for those in the dri-
ving and catching nozzles, which are ne-
glected. In the ideal or frictionless ana-
lytical model, the momentum equa-
tion's stress vector terms are evaluated
with the constitutive relationship for
frictionless flow, where t = -pn, where t
is the stress vector, P the pressure and n
the normal unit vector of the corre-
sponding surface. (This affects solely the
conditions at the surface of the control
volume, e.g. the wall stress terms. If the
flow were inherently frictionless, the
venturi would not work, because the
mixing of the jets would not occur.)
- Gravitational forces are not taken into
account in dealing with multi-phase
flow.
The equation
Sfpu.ndS=O Eq. (1)
5
of the mass balance in integral form [8] is
considered, with S being the surface do-
main of the control volume and u the flow
velocity. Eq. (1) can be reduced to
Eq.(2)
and yields
Plq+P2Q
Eq. (3)
Pm = q+Q
for the mean density Pm' The velocity U3 at
the end of the mixing pipe is defined as:
q+Q
u3 = - - . Eq. (4)
!!...D2
4
The momentum equation
Sfpu(u.n)dS= SftdS Eq.(5)
5 5
is reduced for the ex direction, Figure 3, on
the left hand side to
12
2n 2 2 n d2
Pm U3"4 D - PI U I "4 - P2 U22 "4n (D 2 -
The terms on the right of (5) in the ex direc-
tion are evaluated by breaking the bound-
ary S down into its constitutive compo-
nents. Considering 51 and 52 (51 u 52) yields
since the pressure is assumed to be con-
stant across the cross-section 51 u 52 (P1 = p~.
From 53,
ex' Sf tdS = - P3 !!...D2 .
53 4
The integral for the wall force Fw (the force
from the fluid onto the wall in the ex direc-
tion) is
ex' Sf t dS = - Fw .
5w
The wall force imposes a pressure loss "'PI
between 51 u 52 and 53' "'PI is calculated us-
ing a standard approach, e.g. [8]:
where L is the length of the mixing pipe
and A the resistance factor. The unknown
pressure P2 in Equation (7) is calculated us-
ing Bernoulli's equation
where the losses in the catching nozzle are
disregarded since the flow through nozzles
at high Reynolds Numbers - which is the
case in automotive applications - is not sig-
nificantly affected by friction. The Reynolds
Number is defined here as Re = U1 d P1 1111'
For the pressure P3 in Eq. (8), the equation
is used, with the diffuser efficiency 11D' de-
fined by [1]. For an optimum diffuser open-
ing angle of 2u, Figure 3, which lies be-
tween 5 and 10 degrees, the diffuser effi-
ciency can be as high as 85%.
It is convenient to express the final equa-
tion in the form of dimensionless numbers.
The following quantities are therefore de-
fined:
und Ul
d2 ) Finally, the following equation is derived
by substitution from Eq. (2) to Eq. (13)
Eq. (6) (
lfI=n
412~+ y2(I_n2)
28 - y2(I-n2t
Eq. (7)
Eq.(14)
This is a second order polynomial equation
in the desired quantity l/y = Qlq dependent
Eq. (8). on "'pl( U1 2 p/2), DIDD etc.
:nrnn,,.r,i ... nn of the
Analytical Model and
Experimental Results
Eq. (9)
A comparison of an ideal analytical model
and the adapted analytical model and ex-
perimental results for a specific geometri-
cal constellation with petrol is shown in
Figure 4. The log-linear representation of
Eq. (10) the II\!! - Q/q diagram is similar to the con-
ventional q-Q diagrams, when the pressure
difference "'p in the dimensionless quanti-
ty y is regarded as being constant. The hor-
izontal axis therefore represents a quantity
proportional to the driving jet q and the
vertical axis represents Qlq, thus showing
Eq. (ll) the relative increase in the driven jet to the
driving jet. In the ideal model, all losses ex-
cept the above-mentioned mixing losses
are ignored (A, 11D = 0), whereas in the
adapted model the loss factors are chosen
in such a way that the discrepancies be-
tween the model and the experiments are
as small as possible.
The good agreement between the adapted
Eq. (12) algorithm and the experiments in the
range of interest should not give the im-
pression that the losses are fully explained
and that their influence is unavoidable.
On the contrary, the substantial difference
in the efficiencies between the adapted and
ideal solutions leads to suspicions that
there is still considerable potential for opti-
misation.
q From a purely economical point of view,
=--.
!!...d 2 the primary goal is to design a venturi with
4 the maximum efficiency within the given
Eq. (13) constraints.
ATZ worldwide

4.1 Efficiency Definition
The efficiency 11 is defined as the ratio of
output energy (or power) to input energy
(or power). The expression for efficiency is
derived by comparing the power passing
into the pump boundary with that coming
out of it, and is not analogous to the evalu-
ation of the momentum equation. In the
balance of energy (neglecting heat conduc-
tion across the boundaries),
ff(U'U +e) pu·ndS= ffu.tdS.
5 2 5
Eq. (15)
the decisive terms for a useful efficiency de-
finition are included, where e is the inter-
nal energy (per volume) of the fluids. The
control volume in this case is extended to
the end of the diffuser (up to location 4 in
Figure 3). The expression
(e 4+ P; ui + P4) (q + Q)
Eq. (16)
=(e 4 + P; ui +i'.p+ Po) (q+Q)
is the power passing through the outlet of
the diffuser (54)' From the above expression,
only the pressure terms can be exploited in
automotive applications. The kinetic ener-
gy of the fluid at the outlet performs no
useful work. The power terms through the
surface 52 into the control volume are
(e2+~u~ +P2)Q=(e2+PO )Q.
2 Eq. (17)
where the term with the internal energy,
namely e2Q, can again be discarded. If the
difference between the propulsion pressure
of the driving jet and the ambient pressure
is i'.Pp (in practice i'.Pp represents the fuel
pump or system pressure since the share of
kinetic energy is normally negligible), then
the power coming through the cross-sec-
tion 51 into the venturi is
(e1 + ~l ut + P2 ) q = (e 1 + i'.Pp + Po )q.
Eq. (18)
Combining the terms from Eq. (16) to Eq.
(18), the ratio of output powerto input pow-
er is
i'.p(q+Q)+Po(q+Q) Eq. (19)
qi'.pp + Po (q + Q)
Generally in engineering applications, the
power of the ambient pressure is not re-
garded, and specifically in automobile ap-
ATZ Automobiltechnische Zeitschrift 103 (2001) 1
Fuel Systems
plications only Qi'.p can be considered as a
useful output, since the volume flux q is in-
troduced as a means of propulsion and
must be additionally pumped away. The ef-
ficiency is therefore defined as
Q i'.p Eq. (20)
1]=--.
q i'.pp
A comparison of the efficiencies for the
ideal and adapted analytical models is
shown in Figure 4.
4.2 Quantitative Examples
The Venturi must deliver at least the maxi-
mum engine consumption plus necessary
safety margins. This is assumed for the ex-
amples in the Table to be 70 lIh. Here, ven-
turi dimensioned to achieve this volume
flux under different system constraints are
compared. The last column shows the power
which must be input to the system from the
fuel pump. In cases 1 to 3, the venturi is dri-
ven with the system pressure via a bypass
from the fuel pump.
The Table shows the influence of nozzle
sizes, since the nozzle diameter is often a
manufacturing constraint. In the return line
driven case, case 4, the maximum specified
return line pressure which occurs at high re-
turn flow rates must also be considered, or
an additional pressure-limiting valve must
be incorporated in the system. The nozzle
has to be dimensioned for the minimum en-
gine consumption and the maximum fuel
pump supply, so that the pressure regulator
valve works correctly.
The driving nozzle diameter is defined ac-
cording to this constraint, as consequently
is the driving jet q. The reason for the poor
efficiency of this type is the throttling of
the driving jet by the pressure regulator,
since this loss is added to the calculation of
input power.
In the most general case, case 5, the dimen-
sioning parameters are specified in order to
minimise the input energy, the product of
i'.Pp and q. Since the individual values of
Dpp and q are considered arbitrary for this
purpose, this method of dimensioning is
therefore described as "free".
At any rate, in the analysis of the efficiency
of the complete system, it should be borne
in mind that the efficiencies of the fuel
pump itself are only up to 25% and that the
venturi is the second link downstream
from the fuel pump and optional regulator
valves.
of
the Mixing Tube Length
As a general guideline, [2] and [7] suggest a
ratio of the mixing tube length to the mix-
ing tube diameter LID of 8 and 10 respec-
tively. These recommendations are given
irrespective of influences, other than that
of the length to diameter quotient, for in-
stance the influence of the Reynolds num-
ber.
The influence of certain geometrical di-
mensions, for instance the mixing tube
length or the diffuser opening angle, can-
not be predicted with the analytical model.
Numerical methods (CFD) were utilised to
investigate the former more thoroughly.
Simulations with a commercial CFD finite
element program revealed higher efficien-
cies for shorter mixing tube lengths with
petrol. Figure 5 shows an example of the
meshes used. The simulations utilised two-
dimensional (axial-symmetrical) models
and the standard k-s turbulence model.
Subsequent experiments supported this re-
sult, as can be seen in Figure 6. Two similar
venturis, differing only in the mixing tube
length L, are compared. The average im-
provement in the flow rate Q is in excess of
14%. Shortening the mixing tube length
also has the added advantage of producing
a more compact venturi.
Simulations of a suction jet pump for water
with dimensions similar to those from [7]
are compared in Figure 7 with those of a
suction jet pump which differs only in a re-
duced mixing tube length of 63%. This re-
duction is considerably more than that of
40% which was used in the analysis with
petrol. A reduction in the flow rate at the
operating point (II\!! '" 3.8) of only 4% was
observed. The Reynolds number of this ap-
plication exceeds by 20 times the Reynolds
number of fuel system applications.
Comparisons of experiments and solutions
of the analytical model without losses, Fig-
ure 4, suggest that there are potentials for
further efficiency improvements in the
field of fuel systems. Furthermore, the ana-
lytical model adapted to experimental data
is sufficient for dimensioning purposes.
13
 Fuel Systems
Besides the optimisation of the suction jet
pump itself, the specification of the fuel
supply system is important. The dimen-
sioning examples in the Table quantify the
increase in efficiency due to the modifica-
tion of driving pressure and driving volume
flux, and due to smaller nozzles in the by-
pass driven case. A considerably worse per-
formance of return line driven suction jet
pumps due to the throttling of the driving
jet by the pressure regulator valve was ob-
served.
CFD simulations proved to be the right tool
for finding efficiency improvement poten-
tials in predicting the correct trend of an in-
crease in flow rate with a reduction in the
length of the mixing pipe. Figure 6 illus-
trates this considerable increase for auto-
mobile venturi (with diffuser) and the
analysis of an example outside the field of
fuel systems suggests a possible advantage
for other applications.
[1] Boeswirth, L.: Technische Striimungslehre.
Vieweg, Wiesbaden 1993
[2] Fluegel, G.: Berechnung von Strahlapparaten.
VDI Forschungsheft 395 (2. Auflage 1951),
Deutscher Ingenieur Verlag GmbH, Dusseldorf
[3] Gersten, K.; Herwig, H.: Striimungsmechanik.
Vieweg Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Braun-
schweig, Wiesbaden 1992
[4] Q'Dunlaing, c.: Verwendbarkeit der FEM-Simu-
lation bei der Entwicklung von
Saugstrahlpumpen. Diploma thesis, Fach-
hochschule Wiesbaden 1999
[5] Reister, H.; Giinswein, M.: A Computational
and Experimental Investigation of the Flow
Through a Jet Pump in an Automotive Fuel
Tank. Daimler-Benz AG, Stuttgart, Germany
[6] Rieger, R.: Mehrdimensionale Berechnung
zweiphasiger Striimungen. Technische Univer-
sitiit Graz, Dissertation 1992
[7] Schulz, H.: Die Pumpen. Springer Verlag, Berlin,
Heidelberg, 13. Auflage 1977
[8] Spurk, J. H.: Fluid Mechanics. Springer Verlag,
Berlin, Heidelberg, 1997
[9] Spurk, J. H.: Dimensionsanalyse in der Strii-
mungslehre. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidel-
berg, 1992
14
- continues from page 10-
Another possibility is to relax the required searching the actual field performance of
deployment time for the most severe event 400,000 vehicles equipped with an ECU+FCS
by a few milliseconds, in order to allow the system. The crash data recorded in the ECU
FCS to measure a greater portion of the fN from the events analysed thus far show that
signal prior to the deployment time. Small that more than 50% ofthe deployments that
relaxations for deployment times in single- would have occurred in an ECU system have
point systems do not have such significant been eliminated. Of the cases included in
benefits, because the fN signals at the ECU the study, the occupants did not sustain sig-
do not reach significant levels until much nificant injuries (AIS 2+) in the crashes
later in the crash event. where the airbag deployment was eliminat-
ed.
The signal separation between non-deploy
event signals and must -deploy event signals
is a measure of the sensing system's robust-
ness. If non-deploy event IIV signals can be
amplified by significant amounts and still The addition of the Front Crash Satellite sig-
not reach the minimum IIV threshold, then nificantly increases the minimum llV
the sensing system will be almost impervi- threshold measured by the sensing system
ous to deployments in low-severity events. prior to required airbag deployment times.
This ability to discriminate low-severity de- This increased threshold significantly helps
ployment events from non-deploy events is the system to discriminate low-severity
significant when the frequency of accident non-deploy events from moderate-severity
severity is examined. must -deploy events. Since most crashes oc-
cur at low to moderate severity levels,
Figure 7 depicts the frequency (or probabili- adding an FCS to the ECU sensing system can
ty) of having a crash event on the y-axis ver- eliminate a significant number of unneces-
sus the severity of the crash event on the x- sary deployments. Eliminating unnecessary
axis. Visteon's research suggests that the deployments not only reduces costs, even
probability of having a frontal impact has an more importantly it eliminates the risk of in-
inverse relationship to the severity of an im- jury caused by airbag deployment in low-
pact. This means that one is much more like- severity impacts.
ly to be involved in a low-severity collision
than a high-severity collision.
As discussed above, a crash sensing system [1] Furgeson, S.: An update on the real world expe-
using an ECU alone may have a lower mini- rience of passenger air bags in the United States.
mum IIV threshold for deployments than a Paper at the 1998 Airbag 2000 symposium
[2] Qtte, D.: Is there more safety with theairbag sys-
system that combines the ECU with an FCS.
tem in real world accidents? A review of injury
Therefore, the ECU alone can make airbags pattern of car occupants. Paper at the 1998
deploy at lower crash severities than the Airbag 2000 symposium
ECU+FCS system. The inverse relationship
between the probabilities of having a crash
to the severity ofthe crash means that a sys-
tem with a greater minimum IIV threshold
can make a dramatic reduction in the fre-
quency of deployments in low-severity
events (where the deployments are unnec-
essary). Especially if the system compen-
sates for seat belt usage, then the minimum
IIV threshold can be even further increased
and the number of unnecessary deploy-
ments decreased. Apart from the obvious re-
pair cost benefits of eliminating unneces-
sary deployments, the probability of an oc-
cupant being injured by an airbag deploy-
ment in a low speed event is zero if the
airbag never deploys.
How many deployments can be eliminated
with this system? Visteon is currently re-
ATZ worldwide